I hadn't planned this, but how apt to do this entry on our 6-month anniversary. Figured I should at least post 1 wedding picture before it gets too long after the fact.

( Six months ago... )</div>
But the main reason why I wanted to post is because I'm moving blogs. I've enjoyed the times I've had here at this blog. I've had this address for such a long time that it feels quite strange to give it up. Still, a new phase of life calls for a new blog - what with marriage and a baby carriage and all that. If you would still like to keep in touch, leave a comment and I'll add you to my new blog.

So long and thanks for all the fish. See you around.

This idea is stolen vanessafrida.  I'm too bummed out from work and wedding prep to do a proper update, so maybe this will be a substitute.

Here is how it works....

Ask me ANY question you like, and I will try my best to answer you.  All questions will be screened.  I will address all the questions in another post.

Ask away!

Today feels like a good day today. I've worked late every night for the last couple of weeks and my senior just told me this morning that I won't need to work this weekend. This, coming after all my late late late nights with no dinner and no mood and no energy and no sleep, is just fantastic news. I was so pleased that I started clearing my desk this morning, which was overflowing with papers and reports and drafts and notes from projects that have long been over. I now have table space again, which is amazing.

I'm overworked and exhausted and I still have lots of work to do today, but at least I will have a work-free weekend ahead of me and I'm definitely looking forward to that.

I'm tired of work. Tired of always rushing for the next deadline. Tired of having no downtime. Tired of always making mistakes. Tired of feeling like there aren't enough hours in the day to do all the work that needs to be done.

As my colleague, ES, said, "为什么我的命这么苦?!" (meaning, "Why is my life so terrible?!")

I don't know what else to say, other than that I'm tired.

Yesterday evening, after watching the parade on TV, A and I stayed on to watch Live The Dream, the new singing show from Channel 5. It was a total waste of time! Sux0rs to the max0rs. There was no story line, no timeline, no structure - nothing! I didn't know what was going on, which stage of the competition they were in, how many people auditioned, how many people would be chosen, just totally no clue about what was going on! And the 3 hosts were all really really annoying too.

It had such low production value. The sound was bad and the volume kept fluctuating from scene to scene. And in a group interview situation, the hosts are always pointing the mike at the wrong person or moving the mike around all the time, so that it doesn't pick up the voices very well. And of course there's the really cheesy midi minus-ones that they use for the singing. Bleah.

This was the first and definitely the last time that I will be watching this show. I think I will just wait for the next season of American Idol to get my fix of reality tv.

Last week, I fell down at work. Or maybe I should say that I fell up, since I was walking up the steps when that happened.

You see, my office is in one of those redeveloped shophouses (looks like this) and we occupy the 2nd and 3rd levels. So I have to frequently walk up and down those narrow flights of steps several times a day. Being the klutz that I am, it's not really surprising that, after three months here, I finally took my first tumble on the steps. The good thing is, I fell while walking up the steps, so the only part of me that got injured was my arm. When I tripped on the steps, I stuck out my arms to tahan my fall and jammed my right arm. But it could have been worse - I could have tumbled down the steps, arriving at the bottom landing in a crumpled heap. But all I got was a jammed shoulder instead.

Me: I fell down today, at the steps.
My colleague: You fell while walking down the stairs?!
Me: No la, while walking up the stairs. You would have heard me if I fell down the steps. Anyway, if I really did fall down the stairs, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you now.

--

We bought our sofa yesterday. The only big things left to buy are our TVs (one for the living room and one for my MIL). We'll get that once the carpentry is ready to be put up.

We are more than halfway through the reno now. Have done the floors, paint, air-con and window grilles. I think they're doing the plumbing stuff this week. Then it will be carpentry and then... I think it will be done. Just a few weeks more! A will move in first, with his mum. I will start moving some of my stuff over, but will only move in proper after the wedding.

Once the house is down, we can start worrying about the wedding. We've put that on hold since we got the keys to our house at the end of June. I met up with D for dinner on Friday and she reminded me of all the many many small small things that I need to do for the wedding - invitations, Mass songs, wedding booklet, flowers, wedding favours, MC script, guest list and more! We will need to knuckle down and get those things rolling once we hit September.

We've almost nearly decided on where to go for our honeymoon. It will be somewhere nearby, because we want to make a bigger trip next year to Australia for World Youth Day and to visit all our rellies down under. We're thinking of Bali or Phuket - anyone has any recommendations for either of these two places?

It is just two and a half months to the wedding! Terrified (that I won't get everything ready in time) and excited at the same time. arghhh

This past weekend was mostly good. I had to work on Saturday morning (the second Saturday in a row!) but it turned out well after that.

Saturday

We had a report presentation at 11am and I woke up at 6am to go early into office to put together the last bits of the report. That was... not nice. The presentation itself went okay, I guess. But I still felt quite awful about it because the parts which I was working on didn't turn out well, and my boss had to do more work in the end.

After the presentation, I went home and spent the afternoon resting and recovering. A and I met Wendy and her boyfriend for dinner that night and that was nice. We had steamboat at Bugis, which is always nice. I love steamboat!

Sunday

Had church and band practice in the morning as usual. Met our interior designer in the afternoon to settle our designs. Yay, felt accomplished that we got that settled. We're going to start choosing laminates and tiles and paint next.

We were in Suntec for the Home Ideas exhibition because our ID had a booth there and we met him there. We took the chance to walk around the exhibition a bit and we saw that there was a Simmons booth there. We already decided to get a Simmons mattress, but just hadn't gotten around to actually buying one yet. They had a good deal on the bed frame (just top up $200!) so we bought it all right there and then. That's another thing that's off our list. We got a good offer, could delay delivery of the bed by 6 months and managed to save a bit on the GST. Yay!

On Sunday evening, I met up with my primary school friend, Crystal. She found me a few months ago on Friendster, which was already very cool in itself. Then she said that she was coming back to Singapore for a visit. So we met for dinner on Sunday and that was really really nice. We had more than 10 years to catch up on and it was really good seeing her again. It was so good that I decided, on the spur of the moment, to organise a primary school reunion, since Crystal is back.

If any of my primary school friends are reading my blog and you didn't receive an email from me, please leave me a comment! :)

So that was my weekend. I'm taking it a bit easier at work this week, after rushing around for the past few weeks, because my boss is away for a business trip. So yay for that. :)

My friend is conducting a research project on yoghurt and is looking for women who eat yoghurt. If you are female and you like to eat yoghurt, and you want to be involved in the project, please leave a comment here, stating your preferred brand(s) and flavour(s) of yoghurt. Thanks! :)

I'm on Twitter. Anyone of you out there using it? Add me! :D

I've been struggling with my current job since the beginning of this year. Nothing really major and debilitating like my work-induced depression last year, thankfully. But things started getting bad in January and have been going downhill from there. Among the many small reasons why I'm leaving, one of them being that my boss neither likes me nor values the work that I do, the main reason why I wanted to leave was that I no longer feel like I was learning anything over here. I ended last year with a good note but once the year began, everything started falling apart. At some point, I did stop feeling angry, but started feeling bored and disengaged with work. Once I started stagnating, I knew that I had to find something else.

Then, miraculously, God put a great opportunity in my way. I've known DL for many years now and it recently occurred to me that he's working in the industry that I would like to get a job in. So I asked him for career advice and he said that there is an opening in his company that is suitable for me. So I applied for it, went for the interview, and got an offer the very next day. So I tendered immediately and voila! I am now on my way to a new job. Of course, I'll still have to serve out my one month's notice, but at least I have something bright on the horizon to look forward too. 

Although I have to admit that a part of me does feel a little fearful and apprehensive about the future. I'm jumping into a job that's related to what I'm doing now, but there will still be a lot of learning for me to do. I will have to work much longer hours and I will no longer have the chance to travel. But I do feel blessed that God provided this for me. I got a job right after I started looking for one, and it is exactly the kind of job that I'm looking for. Even though I don't have relevant experience, I'm only taking a slight pay cut (but I should be get back to where I am now after probation). The office is in a cool location and it's near my house. And I already know someone in the office. So it's all good. 

This morning, while walking into the train, I bumped into a woman and stepped on her shoe. I was totally mortified and apologised furiously to her. I felt really bad about it. But what did she do? She just sorta brushed me off and walked away. Now I don't blame her for being annoyed with me, but if I had the courtesy to apologise to her, she should at least have had the courtesy to acknowledge my apology!! I really find this very annoying. And this isn't the first time it has happened to me too. I hate it when people don't apologise after stepping on my feet (and especially when they don't apologise after their children step on my feet). And I really hate it when people don't acknowledge my apology when I bump into them. Why is there no common courtesy around anymore?! Why? Why? WHY?!

Last week, A and I decided that we wouldn't do anything spectacular for Valentine's Day this year. Our plan was to stay in, order pizza and watch American Idol. And that was what we did. We caught up on our tv and watched the latest episodes of Lost and Idol. That was kinda boring, I'll have to admit, but it was still nice. We also treated ourselves to a bottle of wine and several pieces of uber-yummy kueh bangkit from Bengawan Solo.

Oh and I did get a flower from him as well. We met for a quick dinner last night at Toa Payoh, since he was working late. There was this old lady there selling flowers out of a basket. She was about 70 and was being steadily ignored by the stream of passers-by. I'll have to admit, though, that she caught my attention because I thought she was selling roses for $2 each. But when I doubled back and looked, the sign actually read $20. But she looked so sad that I told A that I wanted something from her, so we chose a pink rose. She looked so grateful and thankful, even, that we'd bought something from her. Her expression of relief and gratitude made me feel somewhat bad and I was glad that we stopped to give her a second look.

Just one more things to add on to my last entry.

Another one of my resolutions for this year is to lead a more healthy life. This is what I've done so far:
- Packing my own lunch to work three times a week. So far, the menu hasn't varied much. I bring a lunch box filled with fresh greens (a mix of carrot, celery, cucumber and lettuce), steamed potato, a few slices of roast beef and cheese. By the side I have a cup of yoghurt and a fruit.
- Exercising three times a week. I've only managed this for 2 weeks this month, but that's definitely more than what I was doing before, so it's a good start.
- Brushing my teeth after lunch. I only started it this week, when I got around to buying an extra set of toothbrush and toothpaste for the office. I like it. Makes my teeth feel cleaner and reduces my tendency to snack in the afternoon.
- Gotten back onto my vitamin routine, which I'd neglected for a while. I manage to pack my daily vitamins to work on most days, but there are still times that I forget or when I don't manage to do it because I'm almost late for work. Like today.

So anyway, yeah, I'd like to give this healthy living thing a try. Hopefully it will be ingrained enough in me such that I'll still be able to stick to it (or some form of it) even after I'm married.

Phenomenally lousy day today. How is it that I'm back to hiding in toilets and crying in corners? Things were supposed to be on the way up for me. New opportunities for exposure, the favour of my bosses, and a chance to prove myself. Yet here I am, falling from the weight of unmet expectations, the frustration of unguided leadership and the loneliness of not being able to say anything. Pushed to the front too fast, too soon, I feel like I'm betraying myself if I admit to be unable and inadequate. Is it just a bad day or have I taken a wrong turn?

Because you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

Taken from uniclycommon. 10 things that I love that begin with the letter M.

1. Mee - I love noodles! Hokkien mee, ramen, udon. Mmm...
2. Mocha latte - Especially those from Starbucks!
3. Music - I cannot imagine my life without music.
4. Making music - I love playing my bass with my band
4. Massages - I love receiving a massage, but I also enjoy giving massages to people I love.
5. Macs - I'm currently the proud owner of an iMac and an iPod.

Hmm getting stuck now. Didn't realise that M is such a difficult letter! Going to peek at alisonrae's entry for inspiration. Heh.

6. Melbourne - what a great city. 5 wonderful months there...
7. My mum! Haha cheating, I know, but i'm totally stuck!
8. Mustafa's - 24 hour shopping, what's there not to love.
9. Miaowing cats - I totally love kitties!
10.Moulin Rouge the movie

Comment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. After that, post this in your journal, and give out some letters of your own.

I've edited the previous entry to add pictures. Click to see how the steak turned out, among others. :)

Last week was a difficult time for me in my relationship with the boyfriend. I was away in Sweden for most of the week and my music ministry had a performance on Saturday morning that we had to prepare for. And he had to work the afternoon shift on Saturday, leaving us just a couple of hours together on Saturday in between my performance and his starting work. A couple of weeks ago, he started a 6-month rotation at another division in his firm, where he is on duty from 4pm-1am everyday, and has to work 1 day in every weekend. So by Saturday, my tiredness from overactivity started me feeling emotional from not getting to see him and from the adjustment blues to his new work schedule.

We finally managed to see each other on Sunday and it felt great to just be spending the whole day together, starting with going for Mass together. Also, after almost 3 years of dating, he decided to join my music ministry with me so that we can serve together in the same ministry. So we had practice together before heading home. As was our usual Sunday routine, we stopped by a supermarket to buy some food to cook dinner with. He was in the mood for steak so we bought meat, vegetables, mushrooms, strawberries, wine and chips.

( See the steak here )

When it was done, the steak looked pretty good, but it didn't turn out to taste as good as it looked. The meat wasn't cooking in the middle and we had to send the steak back to the pan a couple more times before it was cooked. He was disappointed with how the meal turned out, but I was less affected by it. I was already appreciative of the fact that he was cooking for me, even if it didn't turn out perfect.

After dinner, we settled down to watch Rent. Again. He'd asked me on Friday to bring the DVD over on Sunday as he felt like watching it again. That did strike me as kind of surprising because we just watched it again a couple of months ago, but I went along with it anyway. I would never give up the opportunity to watch Rent again. Heh. During the movie, we finished the strawberries, wine and chips. After we finished the chips, Boy got up for a while. This was during the scene of the engagement party. I was too busy yelling at the tv (because I find this to be the most annoying scene of the whole movie) to observe where he was going. I thought he was away washing his hands.

As the movie led up to the funeral, we fell silent. I was getting sucked into the emotion of the songs, from Goodbye Love to I'll Cover You. As Collins hit the climax of the song and the backup chorus came in, Boy suddenly got up from the sofa. He got down on one knee in front of me and took my hand in his. I could tell from the look on his face that something special was coming up. He looked into my eyes and said, "I know I can never sing as well as he can. And it's not the perfect time or the perfect place, but why wait when there's the perfect girl?" My eyes filled with tears as a diamond ring emerged from his hands. "Will you marry me?" I said yes and kissed him. Then he took my hand and put the ring on. And we hugged as I cried somemore.

( See the ring here )

So we are now officially engaged. I'll have to admit, though, that we are a typically pragmatic couple and we actually started planning our wedding a couple of months ago. But I kept reminding him that I value romanticism as much as pragmatism and that I was still expecting some kind of formal proposal from him. I was so sure that I would be sharp enough to spot a proposal coming a mile away, but he really surprised me last night. The integration of his special plan into our weekly routine was so effective that I didn't suspect anything until he got down on his knees.

You know what else really surprised me? My tears. I never expected that I would be so emotional about it at all. But the surge of emotion I felt really showed me how much I love him and how loved he makes me feel. It took me a long time to find love and to find him, but he has been a gift worth waiting for. I never stop being thankful that God brought him into my life, that I have grown into a person who would appreciate his love for me.

I just got back from another business trip to Sweden. My new supervisor is much more relaxed than my old one, and I got to take the rest of the day off from work even though we touched down before lunch. Previously, I would have to return to work, but not today. Which is why I'm here blogging! :)

This trip turned out to be much more eventful than the last one I took, even though I spent less time there. Most importantly, it was the first time that I got to make a proper presentation to my client. Quite scary for me. I knew all my material front to back, and I took their questions pretty well, but the general feedback was that I spoke too fast. As expected. Sigh. But my new department head, who travelled with me, said I did okay, so that's good. :)

The next big thing was that I got to sit in for a meeting with my department head with Client VP and Client HOD. I mostly took minutes during the meeting while my HOD presented our plans for next year. But it was still cool that I got to speak to important people from the client's side.

On the more mundane side, my old, cheapo suitcase finally fell apart. Well, not really fell apart, but a bit of it broke off. The zipper puller thing fell out of its catch and dropped behind the cupboard of my hotel room. So I had to tie the zipper bit together with a wire twisty that I found in my bag. Quite sad, huh. But I guess I now have a good reason to buy a new suitcase. :)

( See picture proof here )

Even while on its last legs, my suitcase still wasn't done with its adventures yet. Oh on my way back, it got left behind in transit. I was suppposed to have just an hour's transit in Bangkok but the new airport was having teething problems and we waited 15 minutes for the bridge to be connected to the plane door. I suppose they also had a similar problem with the baggage section because when we were waiting at the conveyor belt at Changi Airport, I was totally unsurprised to hear that our suitcases (mine and my colleague's) didn't make it onto our plane but were on the next flight into Singapore. So my suitcase made it back to Singapore at 2pm and made it back to me at 5pm. And I found this tag tied to it: ( cut ) How cute is that, right.

I am scheduled to go back again in December for another presentation. It will be snowing by then. I am sorta looking forward to seeing snow for the first time, but I don't have enough warm clothing to wear! If I can't borrow something, I guess I'll have to buy a new jacket. More spending. :(

Oh, one last thing before I end off this entry. The hotel I stayed in had the coolest lift ever. It has a door that you have to manually pull open. And the door looks like it leads into a kitchen, and not a lift. Pictures under the cut.

( Cut! )

I got a nudge from roslyn yesterday, reminding me to update. So here I am.

Just like September last year, September this year is also a busy month for me. What is it about September that makes it such a magnet for activities? Last weekend, I hosted a dinner party for my friends. This weekend, I'll be going for a church retreat. After I come back from that on Sunday, I have a week's worth on business trips. Shanghai from Tuesday to Sunday (12-17 Sept) and Sweden from Monday to Wednesday (18-20 Sept).

The difference this time is that I'm excited about the events. It's the first time I'm travelling for business, first time I'm travelling to China and first time to Europe. Even though my trips are back to back, and I'll probably be super tired by the time I get back, I feel so blessed that I have these opportunities put before me.

Things are also changing at my workplace. My manager, who has been with the company for five years, is leaving at the end of this month. Lots of changes to be expected, because we don't have a replacement for her yet. So I will have to take on more a more leadership role in my team. I've only been on the job for 4 months, and the prospect of my department head leaving is a bit daunting for me. But I like it that I'm growing in confidence, feeling more secure about the work I do. I'm forming actual friendships with my colleagues, which in turn translate into better working relationships and a happier working environment for me.

So yeah, I'm busy but happy.

Books for trade!



I want to trade these books for other books. Make me an offer! :D
Jean-Paul Satre, Nausea
Jack Kerouac, On the Road
David Hare, Plays, Vols. 1 and 2
S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders
Arthur Conan Doyle , The Lost World
Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary
Colin Bruce, The Strange Case of Mrs Hudson's Cat
Freya North, Sally
Moon Unit Zappa, America the Beautiful
Sue Welfare, Guilty Creatures

( Click here for book descriptions and synopses )